Author: Sandy Malone

Bridal showers can be lots of fun to plan. Some are very fancy and traditional, but many surround wedding shower themes aimed at setting up the soon-to-be-married couple with things that they’re going to need in their household. Now that many couples are playing house long before they actually tie the knot, gift registries have expanded to cover far more aspects of the couple’s life than ever before. Twenty years ago, only department stores and specialty boutiques offered wedding gift registries. Now you can register for home improvement projects, patio furniture, camping gear , and so much more. If...

Brides and grooms who have just begun wedding venue hunting quickly become familiar with a whole host of terminology and policies that they’ve never encountered before. It’s quite an educational experience for them. Many couples come away from their first venue hunting experience asking why some venues charge more for weddings than other events. Today, I’m going to attempt to explain that. No, it’s not a myth. And it’s not your imagination. It’s true. The vast majority of venues who permit weddings and receptions charge a higher premium for those events. That’s because weddings are higher maintenance than other...

Alfred Angelo Bridal is leaving thousands of brides high and dry, without wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses that were ordered and already paid for, just weeks after promising to deliver on prepaid orders. I predicted this when they shut all their stores without warning a couple of weeks ago. Seriously, if they couldn’t even do a professional job of notifying clients that they were going out of business, did anybody actually expect them to keep their word about delivering dresses trapped in their shops and warehouses? That was never going to happen. When a business goes into bankruptcy, all the...

What exactly is a “dream wedding?” I know it’s going to be hard to believe, but not every bride’s dream wedding involves six bridesmaids, endless toasts, and everyone she’s ever been friends with in attendance. No really, it’s true. That’s a myth perpetuated by the media. Reality TV shows about weddings wouldn’t be interesting if the brides were all stressed out about 10 guests. In fact, there are many brides who dream of an intimate wedding ceremony with only their fiancé, family, and best friends in attendance. These brides don’t aspire to a first dance that involves a flash...

Have you ever been “encouraged” to purchase LipSense or other cosmetics online? You would have to live under a rock to avoid all the multi-level marketing products that your friends, and their friends, are marketing on social media. I’m sure there’s somebody you know who promises they can improve your body or life with LipSense, Rodan + Fields, Younique, It Works!, Scentsy, Mary Kay, LuLaRoe, and many, many more. No pressure, right? I try REALLY HARD to avoid all of these. Not because I don’t believe the products work, but because it means choosing WHICH friend I’m going to...